Curator’s statement
It’s hard to write a travel guide about London. It feels like everybody already knows about all the classic things to see and do. It somehow feels like we were all born with this knowledge. (If you weren’t born with the London tourism gene, here’s a quick run-down of the very basics of the sight-seeing circuit: the National Gallery, Tate Modern, Hyde Park, lunch on the Thames with a view of Tower Bridge, Buckingham Palace, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, the Tower of London, etc.) Instead of telling you about places and things that you likely already know about, I hope to give you some tips that’ll be useful to you this time of year: how to successfully holiday shop in London while taking in plenty of the city’s prettiness and history in the process. So, here’s a quick guide to finding some very British, very special Christmas and Hannukah gifts for your loved ones.
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Things to do in London
Cookies and coffee at Biscuiteers in Notting Hill
People always think of Christmas Markets as a continental European thing, but London has its fair share! Start your shopping day at the Trafalgar Square Christmas Market and then cross the River Thames to the Southbank Centre Winter Market (about a 15 minute walk). While you’re on that side of the river, it’s a good opportunity to visit the nearby London Eye, for a bird’s eye view of the city.
The Covent Garden/Leicester Square area is a great Christmas market neighborhood. The Covent Garden Christmas Market and Leicester Square Christmas market are about a 10 minute walk from each other. In this neighborhood, you’ll also find two of my favorite English fragrance shops, Miller Harris (11 Market Building) and Penhaligon’s (13 Market Building). From Covent Garden, walk about 20 minutes west for two of the best in Brittania fashion design: Burberry (21–23 New Bond Street) and Stella McCartney (23 Old Bond Street).
My favorite London shopping neighborhood is easily Notting Hill. Here, you’ll find everything from mom-and-pop shops to internationally-renowned designer stores. Start your shopping day with a stroll down Portobello Road Market for vintage clothes, antiques, books, art, and jewelry. For a more curated selection of antiques, head to Alice’s (86 Portobello Road). If you have a dapper man in your life, head to Paul Smith (122 Kensington Park Road), the flagship shop of the world-famous British menswear designer. If you have a bookworm in your life (or you’d like to fall madly in love with a bookshop keeper who looks like Hugh Grant), head to The Notting Hill Bookshop (13 Blenheim Crescent). And, importantly, if you have any cookie monsters in your life, your stop should be Biscuiteers (194 Kensington Park Road) for beautiful tins of iced cookies.
A very British shopping experience can be found at the Burlington Arcade, where Londoners have been shopping till they drop since 1819! Here, you’ll find children’s clothes (Cashmirino), quality men’s shoes (Crockett & Jones), Scottish cashmere (Johnstons of Elgin) and lots of jewelry and watches. Be sure to take a break from shopping and re-energize with some afternoon tea. Nearby Claridge’s and Brown’s Hotel offer fabulous options.
Just as you wouldn’t come to New York and not experience Macy’s, you shouldn’t really go to London and not behold the iconic Harrods, the department store that set the mold. You can pretty much buy anything in the world here. An incredulous customer once asked a store clerk if he could even purchase an elephant. The store clerk calmy replied, “would you prefer an African or Indian elephant, sir?” Once you’re all shopped out, take a 15 minute walk north to Hyde Park’s Winter Wonderland and Ice Rink for frosty air fun.
Places to eat & drink in London
Fish and chips in London
Cheeky Scone: For the best scones and jams in a variety of flavors in the heart of Notting Hill.
Old Shades: For fantastic fish and chips and other pub grub on Whitehall.
The Black Friar: Boasting some of the best beer in London with a fabulous atmosphere and a wide variety of eats.
Fallow: For a traditional English fry-up breakfast in the heart of St. James's.
Need to know
Movie binge list: About Time, Notting Hill, The Queen, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Dial M for Murder, Love Actually, Mary Poppins, About A Boy, The King’s Speech
Music playlist: “London Calling” The Clash, “West End Girls” Pet Shop Boys, “Play With Fire” The Rolling Stones, “I Don’t Want to Go To Chelsea” Elvis Costello, “Guns of Brixton” Nouvelle Vague, “The Guns of Brixton” The Clash, “Good to Be on the Road Back Home Again” Cornershop, “A Rainy Night in Soho” The Pogues, “Solsbury Hill” Peter Gabriel, “Piccadilly Palare” Morrissey
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Eva Dilmanian
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